Google buys Smart Homes by Nest for $3.2 billion

Google has acquired Nest for $3.2 billion in cash. The team of Nest will continue at helm of Google, and will be led by Tony Fadel.

To no surprise, Google has kicked off 2014 with its first acquisition, Nest, maker of Internet-connected thermostats for $3.2 billion in cash.

The new acquisition of Google is a home automation company, based in Palo Alto, California, which designs self-learning programmable thermostats and smoke detectors.

The Mountain View group confirmed the deal through its official blog that they had reached an agreement with Nest, founded in 2010 by Tony Fadell who is one of the creators of iPod and currently engaged in home automation technologies.

This is a momentous day for me, for Matt and for all of the Nest family. – Tony Fadell

“Google will help us fully realize our vision of the conscious home and allow us to change the world faster than we ever could if we continued to go it alone.” Tony said. “We’ve had great momentum, but this is a rocket ship.”

Nest is the best known for its homonymous thermostat that regulate the temperature of the environment — in an intelligent way – so as to save energy, which can be monitored and managed using smartphones.

Recently the Company has also announced Protect that detects the smoke or carbon monoxide, and make aware of any potential danger. It also sends alerts on smartphones and tablets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXp-LYBXwfo

“Nest’s founders, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, have built a tremendous team that we are excited to welcome into the Google family. They’re already delivering amazing products you can buy right now–thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe. We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams!” The CEO of Google, Larry Page said in a press release.

After the transaction, likely to close in the next few months, the team of Fadell will continue to work with “its own distinct brand identity” supporting iOS, Android and modern web browsers.

“I’m betting that there’s a lot of cool stuff we could do together, but nothing to share today.” Tony added.

Over the past few years, tech giants’ interest has continued to grow in such systems how technology can really help to improve the quality of life in the home. Certainly, it will shrink the distance that separates the world of home automation from the web and mobile technology, thanks to the efforts of organizations such as the one in Mountain View.